Tire issue's a retread for state

You don't have to read all 800-plus pages of the new federal energy bill to learn where the rubber really meets the road. Just zip to Section 111.

There, Congress calls for a consumer awareness program that would add fuel efficiency to the things people can consider in buying new tires.

Federal transportation officials would create a national tire fuel efficiency rating system. Tire dealers would be required to post results "at the point of sale."

"People go out of their way to save trips and shop for the lowest priced gasoline. Why not do something you can do without blinking?" said Adam Gottlieb, spokesman for the California Energy Commission.

Smooth-rolling tires can reduce the gasoline bill 1 percent to 10 percent, according to the energy commission, which is developing rules for similar state legislation enacted four years ago.

The federal energy bill now awaiting President Bush's signature does not set a deadline on rolling out tire fuel-efficiency ratings. California officials, however, expect their ratings to be displayed in retail stores within a year. The state is working with federal transportation officials to ultimately have one rating system for the whole country.

The auto industry has had the inside scoop on tire fuel efficiency for years. Manufacturers choose the tires they install on new cars to help them meet federal fuel efficiency standards, energy commission officials say.

When it comes time to replace worn tires, however, the average consumer is in the dark.

"The (energy-saving) technology has been there for years, but consumers don't know about it," said Michael Wischhusen, spokesman for Michelin Corp., which has marketed energy-saving tires to fuel-conscious truckers, but not the general public, since 1992.

Fuel-saving tires don't necessarily cost more than regular ones, according to the energy commission, which conducted friction tests on about 600 different tires for standard cars and sport-utility vehicles.

The ongoing study also found that fuel efficiency can vary by as much as 50 percent among tires made for the same cars, said Ray Tuvell, who is supervising the energy commission's rule-making on tires.

Fuel efficiency for tires is rated by their "rolling resistance," the amount of friction or energy expended between the tread and the pavement, experts say. The lower the friction, the higher the gas mileage.

Michelin, the nation's leading manufacturer of energy-saving tires, claims it can reduce friction and weight of tires without compromising safety, durability and performance. The trick is in the chemistry of the rubber and the mechanical design of the tire.

"The tread pattern is not the biggest factor, but it does have an impact," Wischhusen said.

The California law goes a step further than the federal energy bill in requiring replacement tires sold in the state to be at least as efficient, on average, as those on new vehicles.

"That way you can guarantee that the market for replacement tires gets more efficient over time," said Luke Tonachel, a vehicles and fuels analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

A tire standard, however, can be imposed only if it does not compromise driving safety, performance and tread life, the energy commission's Tuvell said.

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